US intelligence on Syria gas attack 'unconvincing', says Russia

Western intelligence reports about Syrian use of chemical weapons that have
been seen by the Russian government are “completely unconvincing,” Russian
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said.

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei LavrovPhoto: AFP/Getty Images

By Roland Oliphant, Moscow

9:32AM BST 02 Sep 2013

Mr Lavrov said that evidence recently provided by the United States, Britain, and France showing regime culpability for chemical weapons attacks was too vague to stand up to scrutiny.

“What we were shown before and what our American, British and French colleagues sent us more recently absolutely does not convince us,” he said.

His remarks came a day after John Kerry, the US Secretary of State, insisted America had evidence that Bashar al-Assad used sarin gas in the devastating chemical weapons attack that killed more than 1,400 people last month. Mr Kerry used an appearance on Fox News on Sunday morning to pile pressure on the US Congress ahead of a vote on military strikes announced by Barack Obama over the weekend.

Mr Kerry said that he could not contemplate the idea that Congress would grant "impunity to a ruthless dictator to continue to gas his people". He said the US had detected sarin in soil and blood samples obtained from first responders.

Meanwhile it was reported that Russia has dispatched an intelligence ship to the Eastern Mediterranean, as it further beefs up its naval presence in the region ahead of anticipated US strikes against its Syrian ally.

“It was very strange to hear my good colleague, Secretary of State John Kerry, say recently that Washington had sent Moscow indisputable proof that the regime used chemical weapons, but that the Russians deliberately refused to acknowledge this fact,” Mr Lavrov told students at Moscow’s Institute of International Relations.

“Yes, we were shown some calculations, which did not contain anything specific: neither geographic coordinates, nor name, nor any proof that samples were taken by professionals, nor any attempt to address the fact that many experts have serious doubts about the videos that have appeared on the internet,” he said.

“There are no facts. When you ask for details they say it is secret and they cannot show you.”

Mr Lavrov added that an invitation to Barack Obama to visit Moscow still stands. Mr Obama cancelled a planned summit with President Vladimir Putin after Russia granted former NSA contractor Edward Snowden asylum last month.

The Russian news agency Interfax reported that the Priazovye intelligence ship was on its way to join the permanent flotilla Russia has kept off the Syrian coast since at least January, citing a source in the Russian high command.

The Russian intelligence ship Priazovye (Artem Topchiy/Wikipedia)

“The Priazovye left Sevastopol on Sunday evening bound for the designated area of combat service in the eastern Mediterranean. The crew and ship’s mission is to do the job they are trained for – to gather intelligence on the escalation of the conflict,” the source said.

The Priazovye will operate independently of the fleet, however, instead answering directly to the General Staff in Moscow. .

Russia already has three landing ships and a patrol vessel in the region. Last week it was reported the guided missile cruiser Moskva and an anti-submarine vessel from the Northern Fleet had been ordered to join them as Russia “adjusted” its naval presence in response to the Syrian crisis.